Living The Word

Thursday, June 9, 2016

For
Paul, faith = belief in the crucified and risen Jesus Christ, and so when he
speaks of faith “coming” (v. 23) he refers to the “era of Christ” as a
particular time marked by Christ’s death and resurrection. It is through this
relationship of faith, through Christ, that believers receive the Spirit (v. 2)
and are saved, reconciled to God.

A portion
of this chapter tries to explain how Abraham, who lived prior to Christ, of
course, could be the father of the faith, if “faith” hadn’t come yet. Paul
cites several examples from Hebrew scripture of how God was working through Abraham
and the law to prepare people for faith, when Christ would come. But he is
careful to remind it was not the law that saved anyone, ever—then or now.
Rather, it is faith in Christ Jesus.

Being a
“child of Abraham” (v. 7) means we believe in the same gospel, the same Lord,
the same work God is doing, work which began long before Christ but was
revealed in Christ as faith, and continues through the Spirit. Theologically we
agree with this: those who believe in Jesus are one “family”. Being a child of
Abraham is not a genealogical reality, it is about faith. While there are many
stories in the New Testament about entire households being baptized once the
head of the house believed in Jesus, making baptism a family thing, Paul’s
point is that heritage doesn’t matter, faith does. Remember, he’s arguing
against those who insist Gentiles must become Jewish before being Christian.)

2—identity as a child of God

Paul
redefines this new identity in faith. One of the purposes of the law was to
form a common identity among the people of God. Sort of like we might sing “They’ll
know we are Christians by our love”, in Hebrew scripture they knew they were
Jewish because they followed the Mosaic law. But now Paul proclaims a new
source for identity: baptism into Christ (v. 27). Who you used to be (Jew or
Gentile, slave or free, male or female) doesn’t matter as much as who you are
now: child of God. The things that used to mark people as different from one
another give way to a common identity in Christ. One is not better than
another; all are beloved children in God’s eyes.

Finally
Paul closes the circle of this argument and proclaims that all who are made new
in Christ Jesus, all who are baptized and have put on Christ, all who share
this identity, are Abraham’s offspring. It is that key relationship of faith, a
gift from the Holy Spirit, that holds all of these pieces together. Whether Jew
(following the Law) or Gentile, slave or free, male or female—all these
differences come together to form the people of God, rooted in Abraham, and united
in Jesus.

Throughout
this epistle, Paul does a nice job of showing the importance of the Law and his
own respect for it, while insisting that the law is not what saves us. Now he
has brought Abraham into the argument, not just “the law” in a theoretical way,
but an example to whom they can relate, to show how God’s grace works not only
on a timeline (as if the ancestors are out of luck because they lived before
Jesus) but eternally in both directions.

Monday, May 30, 2016

In chapter 2, Paul continues the recitation of his own
history, as a Jew and an apostle. While what it means to be a Christian
continues to be in the process of definition, there are many mixed messages
floating around. Paul encourages them to focus on THE gospel: we are justified
by faith in Christ, period. Other traditions, including Mosaic law, might be
valuable and comfortable, but they do not count when it comes to
righteousness/salvation. Paul cites his own experience: he was a perfect Jew, a
Pharisee, keeping all the laws; yet he does not believe the law saved him. It
was only when God revealed Christ to Paul, when Paul died to that old way and
was born anew in Christ, that he was saved.

Here we are getting to the crux of the argument: Christ has
set us free from needing to follow the law. We are saved because of faith in
Christ, and that’s all we need. We are therefore free to follow Christ, rather
than following the law, as we live new lives and serve the neighbor.

Paul is so concerned about this singular focus that he even
criticizes his colleagues who do not seem to be consistent. Cephas (Peter)
apparently was OK with sharing meals with Gentiles, after his vision from God
in Acts 10-11 that removed the dietary restrictions. But when some “purists”
came along and influenced him, Peter returned to following the dietary laws,
which Paul here criticizes. It is not the true gospel Paul gave them, and it
creates division between those who are from Jewish tradition and those who are not,
while Paul is seeking unity among the believers.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

The major theme of Galatians will be FREEDOM. As Christians,
we are free from the power of sin and the bonds of death, including the
requirement of keeping Mosaic law in order to be made right with God
(justified). We are also free for service to the neighbor, living as Christ
lived. This freedom is not “do whatever I want!”, but freedom from worrying
about whether or not we are saved in order to have time and energy to serve the
neighbor. In Christ we are saved--now we get to work!

This argument is shaped by a controversy in the church in
Galatia. Some who follow Jesus have come to town after Paul has left, and are
insisting that in order to be Christian, one must first be Jewish, observing
all the laws and customs of Mosaic law found in the Torah. In the first
chapter, Paul references this as “turning to another gospel” (v. 6). He begins
to lay out his credentials as the supreme Jew, how as a Pharisee he actively
persecuted Christians, literally to their deaths. But Jesus was revealed to him
on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) and he converted that zeal against Christians
to work on behalf of Christ. He is not making this up—he has been sent by God
to witness to Christ. As a highly educated and trained religious official, he
knows the ins and outs of how it all works, and these “false teachers” must be
stopped. He will continue to develop this argument about being free in Christ
throughout the book.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

This summer we are reading together three epistles
from the New Testament.

While communication by letter across distance was not
uncommon in the time of the New Testament, these particular letters, which we
honor as scripture, are distinct.

1--They are much longer than an average letter which might
contain personal or official correspondence. Biblical epistles written by Paul
average 1300 words each; other official epistles from the time average only 295
words.

2—Rather than carrying news or an official decree, biblical
epistles are used for supporting a new worshiping community as it develops,
providing theological correction and admonitions for particular behavior.
Perhaps this is why they are so long: a theological argument is carefully constructed,
including traditional information from local culture and religious customs,
which then leads to a compelling argument about why following the Way of Jesus
is the best way to go, and what it looks like when you do follow that way.

3—While the form of the epistle is somewhat standard with popular
letter-writing customs of the day, the elements have been altered to make a
theological statement. Rather than a simple “Greetings” or “Farewell”, a
religious blessing opens and closes the letters: “Grace to you and peace from
God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ”.

These epistles were written to communities of believers
which Paul himself had organized in his travels. He* writes them to encourage
their ongoing work in the gospel, to clarify theological questions, and to
address problems or concerns that have arisen in the communities. As we read
through these three, we will be able to reconstruct the situation in the church
based on what is being addressed in the letter.

*Paul is noted as the “author” of 13 epistles in the New
Testament. Only 7 of these are “undisputed”, based on timing and style.
Probably the 6 others were written by others who knew Paul, but not Paul
himself. In our reading, Galatians and Philippians are considered authentically
Pauline; Ephesians probably came later, is more general, and was likely not
written by Paul himself. Still, they are all regarded as normative scripture
for Christian faith and life. The epistles are likely the oldest material in
the New Testament (AD 50-60), as the gospels and Acts were collected and
recorded later (AD 70-90).

Each week through September 4 we will read one chapter of these epistles. They will be the text for preaching and teaching on Sundays.

Sometimes we tell God exactly what we
want and how we think God should do it,

and
sometimes, perhaps in our better moments,

we
let ourselves melt away and entrust it to God, however God will handle it.

But prayer is more than talking at
God.

It’s even more than listening to God,
which for me is the harder part of prayer.

Real prayer is becoming so
intertwined with the Divine that we start to resemble God.

We are made in the image of God, and
when we pray, we are empowered to live a godly life.

The theme verse for today from Isaiah
58 commands us to “shout out, do not hold back!”

Pray, yes, and fervently, without
ceasing.

But the rest of this chapter puts
legs on our praying, shows us what prayer looks like in action:

Isaiah 58Shout out, do not
hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their
rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.2Yet day after
day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that
practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they
ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.

3“Why do we fast, but you do not
see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own
interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.4Look,
you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such
fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.5Is
such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the
head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a
fast, a day acceptable to theLord?6Is
not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the
thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?7Is
it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into
your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself
from your own kin?

8Then your light shall break
forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator
shall go before you, the glory of the Lordshall
be your rear guard.9Then you shall call, and theLordwill
answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the
yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,10if you offer your food to the
hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in
the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.11TheLordwill
guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your
bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.12Your ancient ruins shall be
rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be
called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

13If you refrain from trampling
the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the
sabbath a delight and the holy day of theLordhonorable; if you honor it, not going your
own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs;14then
you shall take delight in theLord, and I will
make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage
of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of theLordhas spoken.

And so on this National Day of
Prayer, we are gathered to pray.

We will spend an hour here, eating, praying,
knowing we are friends.

But then what? What will these
prayers mean this afternoon, or next week?

Isaiah sends us out not to pray, but
to BE THE PRAYER—

the
grace, the peace, the justice, the food, the liberation, the hope, the healing
of God.

Yes, God hears and answers prayer,
and often it is through us, the beloved children of God.

We are reminded that we do God’s work
in this time and place by these beautiful words

based
on ancient Jewish teachings:

“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's
grief.

Do justly, now. Love mercy, now.
Walk humbly now.

You are not obligated to complete
the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Daniel is considered a major
prophetic book (it’s fairly lengthy) and contains apocalyptic visions (making
it similar to Revelation). The first part of the book contains six stories
which emphasize the rewards of being faithful to God, even at the expense of
disobeying a foreign king. They are written in the style of traditional
stories, and probably are Hebrew adaptations of already existing tales. The
second half of the book contains the visions, dreams of Daniel about the future
of God’s people. The book covers a timespan of several kings. Ancient sources for Daniel are found in both Hebrew and Aramaic languages.

In this story, one of the
two most remembered from Daniel (the other is Daniel in the Lions’ Den, chapter
6), three Hebrew men are punished for being faithful to God despite the king’s
orders. All the stories in this first section are about Shadrach, Meshach,
Abednego, and Daniel, though Daniel does not appear in this story. They are
captives in Babylon but have been appointed to positions of authority in
service to the king, having been selected from among the best (strong and
smart) of the captives to be educated in Chaldean ways.

When the king erects a
golden statue and demands that everyone in the kingdom bow down to it,
Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego refuse, out of loyalty to the God of Israel.
They’d rather die than cheat on God, regardless of whether God will save them.
They are thrown into a fiery furnace… you know the rest of the story (or read
it!).

This is a story about
faithfulness in time of trouble, and remembering who you are when you are in a
strange land, surrounded by customs, laws, and people that not only don’t match
yours but in some cases are directly contrary to yours. It’s a migration
problem that is still a struggle for people on the move today, including
refugees: what language will we speak, what food will we eat, what freedoms
will be retained and which taken away, in this new place? How will we survive?
How will we know who we are, and who God is, in a new land? What will become
important to us? The Hebrew men in this story get to keep their culture and
their identity because of God’s impressive save. What might we learn about
living amid cultural diversity in our time and place?

We come again to the latter section of Isaiah, sometimes
called “Third Isaiah”, probably about 150 years later than the beginning of the
book. The promise of what God will do for the nation in exile will be carried
out by this “apostle”, one sent by God to the people. The promise is rich, and
just what they are hoping for: a reversal of fortune, and undoing of the harm
done to God’s people. Imagine playing a scene backwards, when all that has been
broken or blown up gets reassembled, good as new.

Christians reading this section will be reminded of Jesus
reading this very passage aloud in the synagogue, and claiming himself to be
this One whom God has sent (Luke 4:16-21). This does not mean that Isaiah was
predicting Jesus, but that God made a promise which we know through Isaiah, and
God fulfilled that promise in Jesus.

As we’ve observed throughout this series, most of the verbs
have God for the subject. The people are hopeless—they (we?) keep messing up,
getting in trouble, separating ourselves from God. God alone has the power to
repair these breaks, to rescue us in time of trouble (a better translation than
“vengeance” in verse 2), to restore the divine relationship. In this time of
spring and new life, it is easy to imagine what this new thing will look like—as
surely as the earth puts forth new shoots, so will God cause righteousness and
praise to spring up, not only among the faithful, but before ALL the nations.

A next step for us as people of faith is to live in God’s
ways, which are described here. God has the power to do all these things, but
it does not mean we have no power. Filled with the Spirit as this servant is,
we too can bring good news to the oppressed, bind up the brokenhearted,
proclaim liberty, release, and the year of the Lord’s favor, and comfort those
who mourn. These are divine tasks, but being made in the image of God, we too
can accomplish God’s work in these ways. What might this promise look like in
our world today, in our communities, neighborhoods, and families?